Afinitor
® (
everolimus) is a prescription medication that belongs to a group of drugs called kinase inhibitors. It is approved to treat the following conditions:
- Advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), a type of pancreatic cancer, that cannot be treated with surgery
- Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of kidney cancer, that has not adequately responded to certain other medications
- Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), a type of brain tumor that occurs in people with tuberous sclerosis (a rare genetic condition), when surgery is not an option.
Everolimus, the active ingredient in Afinitor, is also the active ingredient in
Zortress®. Zortress is used in combination with other medicines to help prevent organ rejection after a kidney transplant.
Who Makes This Medication?
Afinitor is made by Novartis Pharma Stein AG for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
Protein kinases are enzymes found in the body that regulate cell function, including cell growth.
Afinitor works by blocking the action of a specific protein kinase called the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR).
When mTOR is not functioning properly, as is the case in certain types of cancer and in people with tuberous sclerosis, cells grow and multiply abnormally. mTOR also promotes blood vessel growth into tumors, which supplies cancer cells with nutrients and energy, and gives them a way to spread to other areas of the body.
By inhibiting mTOR, Afinitor stops cancer and tumor cells from growing and multiplying. It also cuts off the blood supply to cancer cells, which may help slow down the spread of the cancer.
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